Dangerous Kagbeni: Woman performing Shraddha washed away by river, rescuers rescued

March 23,Kathmandu.The risk of accidents has increased at the Kagbeni bathing site located in Baragung Mukti Kshetra-4 in Mustang, a holy religious site famous for performing rituals for deceased ancestors. The bathing site built for pilgrims is risky, which has increased the fear of possible accidents among devotees who come here to perform Shraddha.

Although the Kagbeni Temple and Shraddha Site Management Committee and the locals have made efforts to manage the pilgrims who come to perform Shraddha with limited resources, it is not enough.

Devotees say that it is difficult and challenging to perform Shraddha, perform puja and bathe as the Shraddha site is narrow. The flood that occurred in Kagkhola on 28th Shrawan 2080 BS had damaged the existing physical infrastructure. The flood caused material damage worth crores of rupees to the houses of the locals, banks and financial institutions, Kagbeni Shraddha site and other cultivable land. 

Laxmi Gurung, chairperson of the committee, said that efforts have been made to control the Kagkhola flow by collecting funds through the initiative of the district's locals, concerned bodies and the Kagbeni Temple and Shraddhasthal Management Committee. According to her, even though the Kagkhola flow has been controlled, the physical infrastructure of the Shraddhasthal is not being managed sustainably. 

Meanwhile, 53-year-old Sita Sharma of Beni Municipality-9, Myagdi, who had come to perform Shraddha on Saturday, was swept away by the Kaligandaki River. She was bathing at the confluence of the Kagkhola and Kaligandaki rivers when she suddenly slipped and was swept away by the river about 60 meters below.

Another person who went to rescue him after he slipped and was swept away by the river has also been safely rescued by the Nepali Army after he was swept away by the Kaligandaki River.  

District Police Office Information Officer and Police Inspector Bishal Adhikari informed that Sharma was rescued safely after being swept away by a river while bathing in Kagbeni.  

Committee chairperson Gurung lamented the lack of interest from all three levels of government in the protection and management of the shrine here. She stressed the need for coordination and cooperation from all three levels of government in the protection and effective management of the flood-damaged area in Kagbeni by repairing and rebuilding it.  

Chairperson Gurung said that the committee has constructed a temporary shrine and bathing place with the donations and support received from devotees. She emphasized that a large-scale RCC embankment is needed on the Kaligandaki River and Kagkhola to make the shrine reliable in the long term and further manage it. 

The committee has stated that the physical structure of the Shraddha site and bathing site here has been damaged when the Kagkhola and Kaligandaki rivers change their course every year during the rainy season. Meanwhile, the committee has been urging devotees who come to perform Shraddha at Kagbeni Dham to take precautions while bathing and performing Shraddha.  

There is a religious legend that Kagbhusunde Rishi performed penance in Tilicho Lake and bathed in Kagkhola in Kagbeni Dham, Baragu Mukti Kshetra-4. This is why millions of devotees from all over the country come here every year to perform Shraddha in the name of their ancestors, offer tarpan, and bathe in the Kaligandaki Dobhan, believing that the deceased ancestors will be happy and bless them.